Motivation has never been my strong point. I’m ending in-person PT visits, and I already feel the enthusiasm ebbing. Even if we pretend I’m not a people-pleaser, when I feel unmotivated, the point of home PT was preparing for the next appointment. Get stronger so I can progress and get new assignments. I don’t want to waste the trip and cost of having a session I'm not prepared for. And yes, it's nice to have their encouragement. A lot of people have no idea how difficult exercising grumpy post-op muscles can be.
I would have never pushed myself as hard as they do. That’s their job. Asses what you’re capable of, and attempt to motivate the crap out of you when needed. Overall I’m not sure that all patients in PT have reason to be the most happy. They’ve likely had chronic pain, an accident/injury, or surgery. Those aren’t the best of circumstances. Maybe some people are positive no matter what, but you could have people surviving really nasty situations. The two physical therapists I work with are awesome at their job: patient, positive, knowledgeable, sense of humor. I'm lucky to have them.
They're also great resources for questions and alternative exercises. Something hurts too much, they figure out a different exercise to achieve the same result. Or a stretch that targets muscles that get too tight from all this work. My last doctor's appointment, they said I have no formal restrictions. I asked one of the PT's if I was cleared to a certain exercise I thought was relatively basic. They said they would not recommend it. Ok, good to know. How would I have known, left to my own devices?
Total recovery from rotator cuff repair is said to take 12-14 months. The pessimist in me says ok, no matter what I do, it supposedly still takes that long to feel normal. Now that I have decen range of motion, and no one to force me, what’s the point in pushing the “discomfort” level higher every day if the outcome is going to be the same? You wake up every morning your and arm feels crappy. It can either be achy AND sore, or simply achy. Again, left to myself, why aggravate cranky muscles and joints even more? I'm afraid PT formally ending, that voice might get louder, with no one to refute it.
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